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Despite this heavy shower captured in Rushden on Wednesday, it's been a relatively dry summer so far. Credit: Mervyn Wood.

Following a dry summer so far, the gardens are in need of a decent spell of rain. But that may be little consolation to anyone with outdoor plans this Friday, which could end up as the wettest day of the summer (and the year) so far in the Anglia region.

Weather prediction models are now in agreement that most places will suffer from a prolonged spell of wet and cold weather to end the first week of the school holidays.

There is currently a yellow weather warning in place which the Met Office was considering upgrading to amber.

There remains some uncertainty over the extent and the scale of the heaviest rainfall.

It is expected than many places in East Anglia will see 30 mm (1.2 inches) of rain but there is a risk that some places will see more than 60 mm (2.4 inches) of rain during Friday. That amounts to more than a month's worth of rain.

If this happens, it would be the wettest day so far this year in the Anglia region.

The Met Office says there is a small risk that one or two spots could see rainfall totals as high as 90 mm (3.5 inches) in 12 hours. That would be nearly two months of average rain.

A Met Office warning has been issued because that amount of rain could cause localised flooding and affect outdoor events and busy roads.

Winds will increase overnight, especially near the coast and could gust to 60 mph which is very strong for the time of year

Low pressure, running east along the English Channel, will bring a wet and windy day on Friday into Saturday. Credit: Met Office

Met Office Yellow Weather Warning

Valid from 1200hrs on Friday 24 July until 1100hrs on Saturday 25 July

The Met Offices says areas of rain, often heavy, and strengthening winds will cross much of southern England on Friday, persisting overnight in the east, before clearing on Saturday morning.

This is an update of Thursday's warning, advising of an increased likelihood of localised flooding, especially across southeast England and East Anglia, where the warning may yet be escalated to Amber. These areas are also most likely to be affected by northerly gales, with winds gusting to 45 mph inland and around 55 mph along coasts.

The public should be aware of the potential for disruption, particularly affecting those travelling or engaged in outdoor holiday activities.

A yellow warning has been issued for rain and wind across East Anglia and South East England. Credit: Met Office.

The Met Office Chief Meteorologist says: "An area of low pressure will run northeastwards close to southern England on Friday, deepening into quite an intense feature for the time of year, before clearing to the east early on Saturday."

"While there remain some uncertainties in the track and intensity of this low pressure system, there is now an increased probability of a developed feature bringing disruptive rain and wind, particularly across the east of the area.

"More than 30 mm is expected quite widely but with the likelihood now that some areas could well see more than 70 mm of rain. The combination of factors brings the risk of disruption to outdoor activities and heavy holiday traffic.

"This warning may still be updated later on Friday, as further information becomes available.